Transformers Prime: The Chain of Command
by Sledgehammer425
Summary: Cybertron. The home world of the Transformers. For generations, it has been a peaceful world. But pride and a lust for power divided it's people. It is early in the war and the Autobots are struggling to survive. What they need is someone who could lead them to victory. Someone who can fill the chain of command. Someone who could go toe-to-toe with the Decepticon army and win.
1. Part 1: The Commander

_This is my very first Transformers story. I hope you all enjoy! Please note that I have watched every episode of Transformers Prime and yes the title of this story shares the same name as season 3 episode 6's Chain of Command. I found Ultra Magnus in particular to be my favorite character in the show next to Wheeljack and Arcee and I thought about writing a backstory about him. Let me know if I should continue._

 _Ultra Magnus' P.O.V_

 _Rubble. That's the only word I can use to describe Cybertron right now. The war for Cybertron is taking a horrendous toll on the planet itself. I spoke to a few troops regarding who we should blame for our planet's current state. A great majority blamed the Decepticons for they were the ones who started the whole conflict and plunged the planet to a civil war. Some troops however surprised me and said both sides did equal damage. I can't say I blame them. Sure the Decepticons started the war, but both sides fought viciously. I recall one incident where I considered our actions_ _violent even for Autobots._

Four Weeks Earlier

Crystal City, Cybertron 

Not much was left of the majestic city after Megatron laid his destructive hands on it. Autobot high command has issued a new order. Retake Crystal City no matter the cost. Ultra Magnus is in command of the foray. He set up his base camp just outside the once proud city.

"Autobots, listen up! I'm sure you're all wondering why we're outside of this city which holds no strategic importance whatsoever. Well I'll tell you. High command feels the urge to liberate this city just because they want to win the people's trust back in Autobot territory." Commander Magnus said to his troops. "I for one think it is a waste of time, resources, and most importantly, troops! But if we want to win this war, we need to gain the people's trust! Our orders are clear. Take Crystal City back by any means necessary!"

"To what extent, sir?" One officer asked.

"When they said any means, they meant it. Prime did have one exception though. Watch what you're shooting at because bots do live there." Magnus answered, glancing at the officer with a stern look.

"Understood sir. Alright squad, move out!" The officer yelled out.

Ultra Magnus and his men charged into the city with one thing in mind. Take back Crystal City no matter what! The Decepticons, not expecting the attack, were caught off guard. In one incident, a platoon of Vehicon troopers were resting in a pile of rubble when the attack began. An Autobot grenadier threw a grenade into the pile of rubble and the Vehicons didn't know what hit them. They were obliterated almost instantly, their body parts launching into the air. There were no restrictions in using heavy weapons. Autobots armed with rocket launchers and heavy machine guns were able to freely shoot at whatever they wanted. Within hours of the assault, multiple buildings were already reduced to rubble.

"Remember, watch what you're shooting at!" Magnus yelled out. His voice wasn't loud enough to hear as multiple sounds of gunshots and artillery shells impacting the ground interfered with the projection of his voice.

Civilians caught in the crossfire were a big issue. Autobot troops evacuated as many civilians as possible as they advanced into the city. Some were unfortunate enough to get caught in the crossfire and were exposed to both Autobot and Decepticon bullets. Civilian casualties were inevitable.

Clearing buildings was also a big problem for the Autobots. They didn't know who or what occupied them. Some troops found innocent civilians and some found Decepticons waiting for Autobot troops to ambush.

One Autobot captain found one building in particular to be too hard to take. It had a dome on top of it and casualties began to mount. The captain ordered a halt in taking the building and decided to send in the big guns.

"Alright bots! This structure is way too difficult to take! I need rocket launchers down here now!" The captain ordered. In saying this, three bots armed with rocket launchers emerged from a position just two meters away.

"Ironhide, where do you want these rounds at?" A trooper asked, marching to his captain's position.

"Fire at that building with the dome! And if any Cons come out, mow them down!" The captain known as Ironhide said to his men.

Then, as soon as he gave this order, the three soldiers fired round after round of high explosive rockets at the building. The building started to go down and as expected, enemy troops emerged from the structure. There were also civilians coming out and the Autobots armed with machine guns carefully aimed at the Decepticons only. There were also wounded Decepticons crawling out of the once beautiful building. Ironhide converted his right arm into a blaster and started shooting at the wounded. A corporal tried stopping him.

"IRONHIDE, STOP! CEASE FIRE!" The low ranking corporal ordered. Ironhide stopped firing and continued to listen to the corporal. "This is against Autobot protocol. We can't just shoot down enemy wounded. We aren't Decepticons!"

"Frag these stupid rules and regulations. We are at war with these savages. The Decepticons won't show mercy if it were you crawling out of a building wounded!" Ironhide said to the corporal, attempting to back up his actions.

"I'm sure they wouldn't. But again, we are Autobots. Every being deserves a chance of living." The corporal stated, his fellow soldiers glancing at all the commotion.

"This is why we're losing the war. Bots like Optimus are great leaders, but they're soft!"

"Ironhide, bots like Optimus are soft yes, but they serve the Autobot cause with honor and integrity. What you just did to those wounded Cons wasn't honorable at all!"

The two finally stopped arguing when a sergeant broke them up.

Present Day

 _Ultra Magnus'_ _P.O.V_

 _I_ _will never forget about Crystal City. The one city that was reduced to rubble by it's very liberators. Captain Ironhide's actions there was just the tip of the iceberg. More destruction has been done to Crystal City than any other city I can think of. Our mission was to take the city by any means necessary. The sole purpose of this assault was to win the people's trust and minds. If anything, all that trust we worked for was thrown out the window. That was four weeks ago. The past. Be that as it may, we did what we had to do. In the end, Autobots and Decepticons are both destroying Cybertron equally. I can only hope that future battles won't be under the same circumstances as Crystal City._

"Commander Magnus, sir!" A trooper yelled out, snapping Magnus out of his thoughts.

"Trooper. What seems to be the problem?" Magnus replied.

"Sir, we have new orders from Optimus Prime. We are to advance deeper into Decepticon territory and he wants you to make a plan of attack."

"We're outnumbered and outgunned, trooper. We need reinforcements and extra ammunition."

"I understand sir. But Prime picked you specifically for this operation. He knows you're a military genius."

"Optimus does have a tendency for stating the obvious. Tell him I'll advance with two platoons in a flanking maneuver."

"Yes sir."

The objective was quite simple and routine. Advance into enemy territory and capture ground. The war has only just begun and Ultra Magnus is probably the only Autobot commander who knows how to go toe-to-toe with the Decepticons. He assembled his troops and prepared to advance. As he said, two platoons in a flanking maneuver. He was going to lead one platoon while Ironhide lead the other one.

As they advanced into Decepticon territory, Magnus' platoon came under fire. They soon realized that they were pinned down by an entire Decepticon division. Casualties began to mount as both sides shot at each other. One Autobot got his head blown off by a Decepticon sniper. His lifeless body fell on Ultra Magnus while he was shooting at nearby Vehicons. Magnus saw the headless bot and set him aside. He continued firing as if it were his only function.

"Get down!", "Watch your left!", "Incoming missile!", "Get me the frag out of here!", "Oh scrap! Out of ammo!" Multiple voices yelled out.

The situation turned chaotic almost immediately. Ultra Magnus had to take control or else his troops could get themselves killed in their chaotic state.

"Autobots listen up! Find cover and save your ammo. Only fire if you know you can hit the target!" Magnus yelled out. He tuned into his comm link and made contact with Ironhide. "Ironhide, we are pinned down at crossroads two clicks from your position, over!"

"Roger that commander, do you need any help, over?" Ironhide said, responding to Ultra Magnus on his comm link.

"Yes. We'll need you to outflank the Decepticons who are atop a hill, over."

"Roger that, we'll be there in ten mikes, Ironhide out!"

Ironhide began to mobilize his troops. Going to aid Ultra Magnus and his platoon just became their top priority. Ironhide gathered his troops and gave them their orders.

"Bots, the other platoon is pinned down by Decepticons at the crossroads. We're gonna swing down there and outflank the Decepticons." Ironhide said to the Autobots under his command. "Make it happen, femme bots!"

"You got it boss!" A sergeant yelled out.

Ironhide and his platoon started to make their way to Ultra Magnus' position. They faced no enemy resistance which was surprising. Cons never leave a location they conquered. As they approached the hill where the Vehicons were, the bots prepared for attack. Magnus received word that Ironhide's platoon was behind the hill ready to strike. So he orders his troops to hold their fire. Now, Ironhide and a few of his men charged and engaged the Vehicons atop the hill. There were at least twenty of them and Ironhide made sure that none of them survived.

However, two raised their hands in an attempt to surrender. Ironhide, being the ruthless bot he is, aimed at the two with his blaster and tried to shot them down. He was stopped yet again by a familiar face.

"You again?" Ironhide asked, surprised to see a familiar face.

"Yes sir. Why are you doing this?" The corporal known as Hot Shot asked.

"They are Decepticons. They deserve to die!"

"They surrendered sir!"

"I don't give a frag if they offer me a truck full of energon cubes! They deserve to die, corporal!"

Seeing this, Magnus and his men made their way to the hill. At the same time, two of Ironhide's men apprehended the Cons that surrendered, handcuffing them.

"This is not the Autobot way!" Hot Shot continued.

"Shut up kid! You don't understand! You don't understand the pain and torment the Decepticons caused me. They took everything from me!" Ironhide explained. "My home at Tyger Pax, my friends, and my femme bot who meant everything to me! That symbol and all who weild it must be destroyed!"

Ultra Magnus arrived on the scene and broke up the two. "Enough already! Both of you!" Ultra Magnus said to the two bots. He just about had enough of Ironhide's ruthless outbursts. "Ironhide, disobey protocol again and I will have no choice but to court martial you."

Ironhide, still enraged, walked off. He walked down the hill toward some rubble. He sat down on the rubble with his hands covering his face. Hot Shot walked up to Magnus to have a word with him.

"Sir. I had no idea he..." The corporal was cut off by his commander.

"A lot of us have our reasons for hating the Decepticons. In Ironhide's case, he lost everything he held dear." Ultra Magnus said to the young mech. "I get why he's angry, but I think he disobeyed the rules for the last time. Revenge won't bring back anything he lost."

"I know where he's coming from sir. I feel the same way. The Cons took away my home too. But I know that replicating their actions would make us no different then them."

"Ironhide doesn't see it that way trooper. Give him time."

"Yes sir."

Then, Ultra Magnus walked off to inspect the casualties. There were seven of them lying on the ground. He even saw the headless body of the bot who fell on him just moments ago. The medics gathered them up and put them in a pile. One sergeant, four privates, and two corporals died in the skirmish. Fearing that staring at these lifeless bodies would make him soft, Magnus walked off to inspect the battlefield. Rubble is the word he would use to describe the state of Cybertron at the moment. Many of his men would have to agree with that. And the worst part is, this war has only just begun.


	2. Part 2: Wreckers

"You're telling me to do what?!" An enraged Ironhide asked, anger coursing through his wires.

"Ironhide, all I'm saying is that you need some time off for a while." Ultra Magnus stated, crossing his arms. Ironhide glared at his commanding officer with an aggravated look. The last thing he would want to do is flee the combat zone. But Magnus was doing this for his own good.

"Sir with all due respect, but you can't expect me to just leave. I can't just leave my men here!" Ironhide continued. He was trying to do anything he could to stay in the fight at this point. "Who's gonna beat the scrap out of all the Cons while I'm away?"

"A commando will take over until I say you can come back. I'm sorry Ironhide, but this is for your own good. I fear this war is changing you in a negative way. I'm only doing this because I'm worried about you."

"Understood. Wait where are you sending me anyway?"

"Iacon City. You will serve as Optimus Prime's runner for a few cycles."

This caused an uneasy feeling inside Ironhide. The once proud officer is now a runner for the leader of the Autobots. Being a runner is the most humiliating job in the Autobot army. You're nowhere near the front lines and you're reduced to transporting messages and supplies. This was the ultimate insult for Ironhide. He curled his hands into a fist but didn't raise them. He might not get court martialled for shooting enemy wounded, but he most definitely would be if he assaulted a high ranking officer. He chose to let it go and obeyed Commander Magnus.

"So when do I depart, sir?" Ironhide asked, losing some of the anger he developed. A transport ship had coincidentally arrived when he asked the question. Out came his replacement.

"You are to depart immediately. That transport over there will bring you to your destination." Ultra Magnus instructed, pointing at the medium sized dropship. Ironhide's replacement just came out of the ship, his clean red paint almost being noticeable from a click away. "Here comes your replacement now."

The two stood at attention as the new trooper arrived. The trooper was a rank lower than Ironhide and he saluted both of them. He appeared to be a new recruit who just graduated from the Autobot Academy. "Commander Magnus, Captain Ironhide." The red mech greeted, saluting the two who were a higher rank than him. The two saluted back of course as a sign of military respect.

"Captain Ironhide, this is Sergeant Cliffjumper, your replacement. Cliffjumper, this is Ironhide, the bot you're replacing." Magnus said as he introduced the two to each other. Ironhide and Cliffjumper exchanged looks of curiosity and surprise. A low ranking sergeant was replacing a captain? Ironhide wasn't all to impressed by his replacement. He was shiny which meant he had no combat experience.

"Your a sergeant?" Ironhide asked, baffled by his replacement's looks. Cliffjumper isn't even an officer. How is this even possible? An extremely low ranking bot is taking his place? And he has no combat experience?

"Yes sir. I just graduated from Autobot Academy and was hand picked to join a commando squad." Cliffjumper explained. He seemed like a smart bot. On Cybertron, graduating from the Autobot Academy and getting hand picked to become a commando was something. You'd have to be very smart and tough to do either of these things.

"Good luck. You're gonna need it, shiny." Ironhide said as he walked off to his transport. As he got inside, the pilot immediately took off. Ironhide was now on his way to Iacon. A guilty feeling ran throughout his circuits. Maybe he should calm down a bit and follow protocol. Perhaps that's the reason why he's on leave. His brutal nature is what brought him here. Maybe working for Optimus for a bit would be a nice change of pace for the warrior.

 _Elsewhere_

"Watch out! We have Decepticons approaching our position!" An Autobot warrior yelled out, running past his teammates. He was panicking as if a swarm of scraplets had just chased him.

"Wheeljack, relax! How many?" One of his teammates asked.

"Too many to count, Bulkhead! Lock and load! This is not a drill!" The bot known as Wheeljack yelled out, still in a panic. Hearing this, his fellow teammates went on high alert.

These are the Wreckers. The toughest fighting force the Autobots have. It is said that they can destroy Decepticon armies with their bare hands. Though they lack in discipline, they make up for in sheer bravery. They were basically loose cannons who don't give a frag about how much damage they cause.

"Alright guys, you know the drill! Wreckers don't call for backup!" Bulkhead yelled out to his fellow Wreckers, waiting for them to finish their motto.

"They call for clean up!" The rest of the Wreckers yelled in unison. That phrase was their battle cry.

The Wreckers were tasked with defending a radio station until Autobot reinforcements arrived. This station was deep inside Decepticon territory and the Wreckers voluntarily accepted the mission without any hesitation. They would willingly accept all the hard missions despite the difficulty.

As soon as the first Vehicon came into view, the Wreckers opened fire almost instantly. The radio station had two floors, the top floor being the most important portion as it housed the radio antennas. They perched their best sharpshooters on the second floor to provide overwatch.

"Eat laser Decepticreeps!" Wheeljack yelled out, converting his right arm into a blaster and firing at the threat. Wheeljack was notorious for carrying only one grenade as it was his signature. He only used his one grenade if the battle became desperate.

A Vehicon trooper armed with a rocket launcher fired off missiles at the group of Autobots. Seeing this, the bot in charge warned everyone. "Incoming!" Their leader known as Impactor yelled out, dodging a missile that narrowly missed him.

"That was close! You good?" Wheeljack asked his teammate while continuing to fire his blaster.

"I'm fine. You know rockets can't hurt us Wreckers! Yeehaw!" Impactor yelled out, charging into the battlefield, like a crazy bot. He's the wildcard of the team, but hey, that's why they put him in charge.

Bulkhead sighed, watching his friend charging recklessly into the fire. He converted his arms into maces and joined his friend. "Save some for me, commander!" Bulkhead jokingly said to his leader while running into the battlefield. It didn't take long for the green bot to spot a target as one approached him. He ran up to the Vehicon and punched it in the chest with one mace then crushed it's head using the other mace. He smashed through another unfortunate Vehicon, this time hitting it in the face, dislodging it's head from it's place. The poor Decepticon stood no chance against this stronger and larger mech. Bulkhead was literally smashing through the Decepticons one at a time.

Meanwhile, Impactor was fighting ten Vehicons all at once. He was armed with a shotgun and started blowing Decepticons away. One tried stabbing him with an energon knife, but failed when he shot him in the face. He used his shotgun as a melee weapon too and whacked three of them in the face, knocking them out. The remaining six charged him at the same time. Big mistake as Impactor fired his shotgun at one of their legs, making the Vehicon fall behind his comrades. This made the rest start falling over like dominos. Before they got up, the Wreaker placed a grenade on top of one of them. He ran back into the battlefield waiting for his next victim as the grenade exploded behind him.

Wheeljack saw this and got a little jealous. "Oh yeah? I can do better!" The young mech yelled out, running into the battlefield to join his fellow Wreckers. He took out his two swords and put on his mouth guard. He started slicing and dicing his way through the Decepticon ranks as if they were nothing but wires at a control room. It didn't take him long to find a target. Two Vehicons approached him, blasters at the ready. Vehicons were known for having terrible aim and the Autobots used this to their advantage.

Wheeljack ran towards the two Cons and before they could respond, he chopped off their blasters. Since they were now unarmed, Wheeljack stabbed both of them in the chest simultaneously. He dislodged his swords and watched as the energon started to flow out of their torsos. "Not so tough without your energin, huh?" The mech said to the two Vehicons who were now leaking to death. He glanced at Impactor, who was still blasting Decepticons with his shotgun. The weapon was very effective in close quarter combat. "I knew I should've taken that gun back in boot camp."

Above all the fighting, the Wrecker sharpshooters were shooting any Vehicon who got near the radio station. Since the second floor had a large opening for maintenance ships to enter, the Wreckers had limited cover, but at the same time, were well protected by the hight.

"Eat this you piece of scrap!" One of the sharpshooters yelled out while firing his sniper rifle.

"Take it easy, Roadbuster. Save some for me and the guys downstairs." The other sharpshooter said to his comrade while shooting a Vehicon in the face.

"Don't worry, Springer. This is just the first wave!"

Sharpshooters were required to have good aim, hence the name. They were armed mainly with sniper rifles and arms that converted to blasters. This makes them a deadly force to be reckoned with.

Roadbuster looked through his scope and saw a Vehicon with a blade sneaking up on Impactor who was fighting off two other Vehicons. Not wanting his friend to die, he shot the Vehicon in the head, the laser going through the head itself. Impactor finished off the two Vehicons and turned around, surprised to see a dead Vehicon he didn't kill. He turned around and looked at the radio station's second floor and saluted the snipers.

Impactor tuned into his comm link and spoke to the snipers. "Nice shot, overwatch." Impactor said into his comm link.

"Thanks." Roadbuster replied into his comm link. He saw even more targets and continued his job.

 _Meanwhile_

Commander Magnus is attempting to make contact with the Wreckers who were only ten clicks from his position. He ordered them to go behind enemy lines and secure a vital radio station. However, the lack of radio contact worried the mech. If he was gonna make a move, he needs to make it soon. He tuned into his comm link and attempted to make contact with the Wreckers yet again. "Wrecker leader, this is Ultra Magnus. What is your status, over?" The mech said into his comm link. No response. He began to worry about their overall status. "Wrecker leader, please respond, over. Wrecker leader, you have ten mikes to respond before we advance to your position, out!"

Even after ten mikes, the Wreckers still didn't respond. Magnus gave the order to advance.

"Men, listen up! The Wreckers were tasked with capturing a radio station deep inside Decepticon lines. This radio station is inside a small town. They haven't responded to any of my radio contacts. I fear the worst. Let's make our way to their objective." The commander said to his men, explaining the plan with certainty in his voice. "Any questions before we move out?"

"Sir, who's leading second platoon?" Corporal Hot Shot asked, slightly confused when he noticed Ironhide wasn't there.

"Oh thanks for reminding me soldier. Everyone, Captain Ironhide is on leave. I sent him off to Iacon City." Ultra Magnus explained to his men. He motioned for Sergeant Cliffjumper to stand next to him. "Soldiers, this is Sergeant Cliffjumper. Ironhide's replacement. Treat him with the same respect you give me and Ironhide. Please give him your undivided attention. Sergeant."

"Bots, I know I'm not an officer. But I am in command. I'm not trying to replace Ironhide by any means. I'm just filling in for him." The young red mech said to the Autobot troops, no confidence in his voice. "Let's get the job done!"

With that said, the troops exchanged looks of confusion. "You heard him! Let's move!" A trooper yelled out.

The Autobots began to advance deep into Decepticon territory. The Wreckers got to the radio station via dropship. Magnus and the bots under his command have to move on foot. There was a lot of walking, but they surprisingly got to the town within thirty minutes. They were nearing the entrance, weapons at the ready. "Autobots, urban formation!" The commander ordered. This formation was used to prevent casualties in an urban environment. One platoon was on one side of the street, while the second one was on the other side. Ultra Magnus and four of his troops were in the middle of the street, ready to shoot down any Decepticons who came into view.

It was too quiet, especially since it was a Decepticon town.

"Commander, I don't like it. It's way too quiet." Sergeant Cliffjumper said out loud. Cliffjumper was on the right side of the street, leading second platoon. He felt a little nervous since Decepticons don't leave things unguarded.

"Cool your processors. Just keep moving kid." Ultra Magnus replied.

The bots kept moving deeper into the town, going only one direction. Whenever they encountered crossroads, they crossed with extra caution. One bot from each side provided cover while the rest crossed. Then, that bot moved forward, receiving cover from a teammate that had already crossed.

Ultra Magnus and his forces heard gunshots to their left and they immediately went on high alert.

"These Autobots are too strong!", "Decepticons, retreat!", "Run!", "Arrrrrgh!" Multiple voices yelled out.

"Those voices sound too stupid to be Autobots, sarge!" A trooper yelled out.

"Very funny, trooper." Cliffjumper replied, a slight giggle escaping his mouth.

"Well I guess this means the Wreckers aren't dead yet." Corporal Hot Shot stated while loading his grenade launcher with a fresh grenade.

"Undisciplined mechs. Never answering my transmissions." Ultra Magnus said, anger coursing through his wires. Magnus valued discipline above all else. He saw the Wreckers as nothing more than loose cannons.

He motioned for his men to head for the source of the commotion. They made a left at the next crossroads and immediately saw dead Decepticons littering the streets. Energon gushing out of their lifeless bodies, body parts all over the place.

"This guy lost his optics." A private stated, inspecting a dead Vehicon. The Vehicon had it's optics removed from their place. The interior of the head can clearly be seen.

There were also a lot of Decepticon weapons littering the area. One trooper saw an energon knife and took it. "Hey look. An energon knife." A sergeant pointed out. He took the knife out of it's holster and examined it. He put the knife in one of his leg compartments and continued to walk through the carnage.

"What do we have here? A Decepticon plasma pistol? I am so taking this back home." Hot Shot said, taking the pistol out of the dead Vehicon's hand. He looked through the iron sights and immediately fell in love with the gun.

"Hot Shot, you and I will make contact with the Wreckers. Cliffjumper, stay here with the men and keep watch." Magnus instructed before walking off, Hot Shot walking beside him.

"Yes sir!" Cliffjumper replied.

 _Radio Station_

The Wreckers had defended the radio station from many Decepticon attacks. They were all gathered on the outside of the building, talking about the battle.

Impactor was the first to speak. "That was some battle." The orange and purple mech said, reloading his shotgun.

"I killed twenty-seven Decepticons." Wheeljack stated, sounding quite confident.

"I killed forty-two."

"No fair Impactor! You have a shotgun and a scrap load of weapons!" The Wreckers started laughing their tailpipes off at Wheeljack's response.

"Hey, while I was fighting, the old supreme commander kept contacting me. He said and I quote "Wrecker leader, respond, over. You have ten mikes to respond before we advance to you, out!" That old bot is too uptight." Impactor said and mocked. He hated the other Autobot commanders for their uptight command style. He wasn't alone. His fellow Wreckers hated protocol and discipline.

"What a character." Bulkhead added.

As they continued to talk, Ultra Magnus and Hot Shot were already there. They heard the whole thing and they made their presence known.

"Attention!" Corporal Hot Shot yelled out. The Wreckers saw the two and stood at attention. Impactor hoped that they didn't hear anything.

"As you were. Impactor, a word please." Ultra Magnus asked, gesturing for the Wrecker to approach him. Impactor walked over to the commander and just stood at attention. "So, I assume your radio signal was blocked."

"Yes sir." The mech replied, a chill going down his back.

"Interesting. And I assume I'm an old bot too?"

Impactor gulped as he realized he was caught. He looked at Ultra Magnus and saw only anger. He was in for it.


	3. Part 3: Incoming

**Just a little note: This is set before the events of Transformers Prime. All the Wreckers are still alive and Optimus has just recently been made Prime.**

"Soldier, next time you satirize me again." Magnus paused, crossing his arms, the stern look on his face clearly not vanishing. "I will have you serve as a runner for the Iacon Hall of Records. Are we clear?"

The Wrecker leader once again gulped. He thought about it for a brief minute and hated the thought. Being a runner? That's gonna get you somewhere. Somewhere near a vending machine probably. "Yes sir." Impactor replied, mockery in his voice. He walked off and rejoined his Wrecker brothers. The commander only shook his head left and right, watching as the soldier walked away.

Ultra Magnus immediately ordered the Wreckers to head back to Iacon as they have already completed their mission. They slightly hesitated but did obey their new orders. "Wreckers, get back to Iacon. Your mission has been completed. Await further orders when you get back." The commander instructed.

There was a dropship that had just landed in front of the radio station. Their ride was here. All the Wreckers got into the ship and the ship immediately took off, heading off to Iacon City.

Ultra Magnus watched as the ship took off and left the field of battle. He then directed his attention to the radio station. He then ordered Cliffjumper and the rest of his troops to move to his position. As they arrived, he and Cliffjumper along with some technicians, went to the second floor via elevator. As soon as they arrived, the technicians immediately went to work, recalibrating the radio station to work with Autobot frequencies.

"All right bots, check for anything broken." Sergeant Cliffjumper said to the technicians.

"Roger that. We'll make sure there isn't anything damaged before recalibrating the antennas." One of the Autobot technicians said to his sergeant.

"Wires are good. Antennas are intact." The other technician stated, taking out a data pad and recording the data. "Commander Magnus, sir. We're good to go."

"Excellent. Keep working while I survey the perimeter. Cliffjumper take two of your troops and record the Decepticon casualties." Magnus replied and ordered before going downstairs.

"Yes sir. I'll have a count within ten minutes." Cliffjumper replied, going downstairs as well.

There were Decepticon bodies everywhere. The Wreckers were ruthless in their defense. One of Cliffjumper's soldiers counted at least two-hundred Vehicons, ten seekers, and seven rocket troops that were killed by the Wreckers. He immediately sent the information to Ultra Magnus. Magnus was impressed by the stubborn defense the Wreckers put up. He had never seen such courage and determination before.

Cliffjumper along with two troopers were walking around the battlefield, surveying the dead Cons. They were surprised by all the gear the Decepticons carried with them. Extra ammunition, grenades, medical kits. All were common among Decepticon troops. They were very well equipped.

Cliffjumper walked over to a dead rocket trooper and looked at the trooper's wounds.

"Killed by something bulky and heavy." The red mech stated, looking at the dents and wounds the Con suffered. He saw a lot of grenades on the dead Con and analyzed them. Surprisingly, all the explosives were intact. "I'm surprised the Wreckers didn't trigger these munitions."

"I'm sure glad the Wreckers are on our side." One of Cliffjumper's soldiers said, happy he didn't need to worry about facing the Wreckers in battle.

"Try not to get them angry. You can kiss your slaggin tailpipe goodbye if you do." The other soldier added, grabbing ammunition from a dead Vehicon as ammunition was interchangeable.

Meanwhile, Ultra Magnus and some of his bots were surveying the perimeter. They were baffled by the carnage before them. The Wreckers aren't necessarily part of the Autobot chain of command. They were just as Magnus put it, "Loose cannons who so happen to be Autobots."

One of Magnus' troopers spotted a data pad. It was in the hands of a dead Vehicon who appeared to be an officer. "Commander, a Decepticon data pad." The trooper announced, prying the pad out of the Decepticon's dead hands. He looked at it, then handed it to his commanding officer.

Magnus analyzed the pad and went wide-eyed when he saw it's content. "Trooper, do you realize what you've just uncovered?!" The commander yelled out, sounding very enthusiastic and joyful.

"No sir." The trooper replied, not knowing anything about the pad's contents.

"This has the location of every Decepticon outpost in this sector! I'm promoting you to corporal effective immediately!"

"Wow, thank you, sir!"

"You earned it. I need to get this information to Prime ASAP!" With that, Ultra Magnus ran back to the radio station and went to the second floor where the antennas are. Since his comm link was short range, he needed some way to contact Iacon. He approached the technicians who were still recalibrating the station to work with Autobot frequencies and radios. "Bots, status report."

"Sir, we are still adjusting the system. It could take a few more minutes." One of the technicians responded while continuing with his work.

"I have important information that could probably turn the tide of the war into our favor! Hurry up!" Magnus yelled out, sounding very impatient.

"Roger that sir! We're working as fast as we can!" The other technician replied, rerouting some wires.

Suddenly, artillery shells began hitting the ground. The Decepticons were launching an artillery barrage on the newly captured radio station. Usually, after an artillery barrage, the Decepticons would send in a lot of troops into the combat zone. With long range communications down, Magnus can't call for backup. And he most definitely can't send the information to Optimus Prime. The only thing to do right now is to make a stand. He tuned into his short ranged comm link and gave the order for his troops to stand their ground.

"Autobots, this is Commander Magnus. Set up a perimeter around the radio station and defend it at all costs!" Magnus said into his comm link. Since he was still on the second floor of the radio station, he had a clear line of sight of the perimeter. He saw Decepticons advancing already. He spoke again. "I see Decepticon forces advancing already. Move out, bots!"

The Autobots mounted their defense. Machine gunners were placed strategically behind metal crates that provided idle cover. Bots armed with rocket launchers were placed in the rear while regular troopers were placed along the perimeter.

"All right, I want a squad from second platoon to go to the second floor and defend it! The rest of you will defend the perimeter!" Cliffjumper barked orders left and right. He chose to be on the front lines so the troops won't go into chaos without someone in charge. "First platoon, you're our first line of defense!"

With that, the Autobots got to their positions and waited for the Decepticons to get within blaster range. When the first Decepticon squad appeared, Autobot machine gunners opened up, firing round after round of bullets. Blasters were powered by energon whereas handheld weapons relied on ammunition. Blasters were more effective, but bullets were just as deadly.

"Eat this you old scrap pile!" Hot Shot yelled out while shooting at the Decepticons with his pistol. The Autobots were very confident. If the Wreckers can survive wave after wave of Decepticons, so can they right?

A Decepticon artillery shell hit a small group of Autobots and almost instantly, they were either killed or seriously wounded. Seeing this, Cliffjumper and three other bots took their position, guns blazing. Cliffjumper, being a commando, was trained for situations like this. However, the bots under his command weren't as well trained. As a result, casualties began to mount.

Vehicons were however worse. They not only had horrible aim, but they were extremely dumb. Yet again, the Autobots used this to their advantage.

Cliffjumper immediately ran into the combat zone and started fighting Decepticons hand-to-hand. Two Vehicons approached him and it would ultimately be their dumbest and last decision to be made. Cliff punched one in the face and kicked the other in the chest. Before they fell to the ground, he switched his hands into blasters and blasted both Vehicons simultaneously. They were killed instantly and Cliffjumper patiently waited for his next victim.

Hot Shot witnessed this act and decided to join in. He along with another trooper charged into the battlefield and joined their sergeant. Hot Shot was using the plasma pistol he found earlier. It was a magnificent piece of engineering. It runs on plasma and it's power source is a battery loaded with plasma. It was a one shot one kill weapon and in Hot Shot's hands, he was unstoppable.

Five Vehicons armed with rocket launchers approached him. They surrounded him and the trooper who accompanied him. Hot Shot wasn't afraid at all. One of the Vehicons offered the two Autobots surrender. Hot Shot turned down the offer and shot the Vehicon. Before the rest could respond, the other Autobot threw a few punches at the nearest Vehicon and ripped it's head off. Hot Shot took the remains and threw it at the rest of the Vehicons. This caused all of them to fall over. He then places a grenade on one of the Vehicons and walked away, the grenade exploding behind him.

"Now that's what I call ingenuity!" Hot Shot commented, high-fiving the bot who helped him. He really liked that move and decided that it would be his signature move. He and the other trooper actually made a great team and he seemed like a nice bot. Hot Shot asked for his name. "What's your name good bot?"

"Tailgate. My name's Tailgate." The mech known as Tailgate responded. Tailgate looked a lot like Cliffjumper, except he was white instead of red.

"We make quite a team. Ready for another round?"

"Yep. Let's do this!"

The two bots continued fighting. Miraculously, the other bots defending the perimeter didn't hit Cliffjumper, Hot Shot, or Tailgate. They seemed to hit the Decepticons, but avoided friendly fire. Even the machine gunners didn't hit them. Its a miracle that friendly fire was avoided.

Back on top of the radio station, the two technicians had just finished recalibrating the antennas. The radio waves in this sector now belong to the Autobots. The antennas allow radio signals to travel long distances. Ultra Magnus wasted no time and contacted Optimus Prime who was back at Iacon. He tuned into his comm link which could now be used for long distances.

"Optimus Prime, do you read me? The Decepticons are launching a counterattack! We are really taking a pounding down here, over!"


	4. Part 4: The Siege

_Iacon City_

 _Au_ _tobot Headquarters_

It is just another normal day in Iacon. Commands were being issued and defenders were ready for any Decepticon attack. Iacon was completely militarized. It went from Cybertron's golden city to Autobot capital. If it falls, the war is as good as over. Surprisingly, Megatron hasn't attacked it yet. It was well defended and well supplied. Attacking the Autobot capital itself would be a logistical nightmare.

At Autobot HQ, Optimus Prime and his staff were issuing orders as usual. They are in a conference room and they have just received a transmission from the Wreckers telling them that their mission has been completed and that they were on their way back to Iacon. This news was received with mixed feelings. Some officers wondered why they were sent back. Others thought that they would stay and reinforce Ultra Magnus and his forces. Optimus looked over a clipboard which had all the details regarding Ultra Magnus' current mission. He checked off the box which said, 'Wreckers Fallback to Iacon'. He then spoke to the officers in the room. All of whom gave their undivided attention to him.

"All right my fellow Autobots. We are now in phase three of Ultra Magnus' operation." The red and blue mech stated. He rested his hands on the conference room's main table, his right arm grabbing a data pad. "Our tanks and dropships are ready to advance from Crystal City to the radio station."

"Sir, I have ten tanks and five dropships, as well as eight platoons of troops." One of the officers stated. He too, had a clipboard in hand and it had all the logistics. This officer is in command of all military operations. His primary color is white and his secondary color is red. "That's all I can spare, sir."

"That's more than enough, Prowl. Have them advance to Ultra Magnus' location immediately. I fear that he and his troops are already under siege."

Just then, a red mech marched into the room. It was Ironhide. When Ultra Magnus ordered him to serve as a runner, he meant it. Ironhide just came from the HQ's communications center. He had in his hand a flash drive which had a transmission in it.

"Optimus, a transmission from Ultra Magnus." Ironhide exclaimed before plugging the flash drive into the computer in the room.

The flash drive began to play it's content. _"Optimus Prime, do you read me? The Decepticons are launching a counterattack! We are really taking a pounding down here, over!"_

"We lost contact afterwards." Ironhide added.

There was a lot of quiet chatter in the room. The officers were very worried. They had two platoons in that area defending the radio station. Losing them along with an esteemed Autobot commander would be a major loss. Sending reinforcements would be either a good move or a bad one. That decision belonged to Prowl and Optimus. Prowl spoke first.

"We can't leave them. Even if they're dead, we're not gonna let their sacrifices be in vain." Prowl stated, feeling the sudden urge to fight. He looked over at the other officers and they all nodded in response to his statement. He looked over at Optimus who also nodded.

"Prowl's right. We are not leaving Ultra Magnus or any of those Autobots behind!" Optimus added, sounding very confident.

Prowl was going to lead the overall relief effort. He went into the Autobot HQ weapons room and grabbed some guns. Ironhide insisted on tagging along and not even Optimus could stop him. Ironhide grabbed a minigun and was about to leave when Prowl stopped him.

"Ironhide, promise me one thing." The white mech said, placing his hand on Ironhide's shoulder.

"And what would that be?" The red mech asked, questioning his friend.

"Promise me you'll behave like an Autobot."

"Will do."

With that, the two exited the weapons room. They, along with a few troops, boarded a dropship and made their way to the relief force, which just departed from Crystal City. They were going to meet up and together, advance to Ultra Magnus' position. If he and his men were still there that is.

 _Meanwhile_

Back at the radio station, the fighting was horrendous. The Decepticons have completely surrounded the radio station, but the Autobots provided heavy resistance. Blaster bolts were being fired from almost every direction and artillery shells landed everywhere. The Autobots were losing troops, but killed more Decepticons. One Autobot can kill an average of twenty Vehicons before dying. Some are strong enough to fight till their position was overrun.

The Decepticons were launching wave after wave of cannonfodder. They viewed their own troops as expendable bots with no purpose other than to serve their one true master, Megatron. They marched blindly into combat with the hopes of pleasing Megatron and his subordinates.

Commander Magnus, along with four other soldiers, were defending the main entrance outside of the radio station. Inside was the lobby which was converted to a medical station. Protecting it was vital. Not only were there unarmed medics inside, but also wounded bots that weren't dead yet. Magnus doesn't value just discipline. He values the lives of his bots. Unlike the Decepticons, he and the Autobot cause actually care about their own.

"Keep these hostiles away from the entrance!" The enraged commander barked, firing his two handheld blasters. He wasn't sure whether or not Prime got his message. After he sent the transmission earlier, a few Decepticon seekers launched missiles at the radio antennas and they were damaged. He chose to go downstairs and defend the main entrance while the technicians attempted to repair the antennas. _What if Optimus never got the transmission? Would all this hard work have been for nothing?_ The stress was building up in his circuits and this made him even more angry. By this point, seeing dead Decepticons piling up on the battlefield is the only thing that would suffice.

Cliffjumper was behind some rubble, using it as cover. He, along with six other bots, were defending the perimeter's left flank which was undermanned. Seven bots were defending it in the beginning, but as the battle progressed, only three remained functional. Cliffjumper, being one of the three, began fighting desperately. He saw a Vehicon armed with a rocket launcher advancing toward the main entrance. The bots defending it were busy fighting off a wave of Decepticons. Cliffjumper reached for a grenade in one of his waist compartments and lobbed it at the Decepticon. Before the grenade exploded, two other Vehicons approached the rocket trooper to support him. Then, before they knew what hit them, the grenade exploded. Cliffjumper killed three for the price of one.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" The red mech yelled out before directing his attention to the Decepticons in front of him. Instinctively, he began shooting them with a minigun he borrowed from a wounded trooper. The weapon relied on plasma as ammunition which is extremely effective against a swarm of targets. It's barrels rotate to avoid overheating which would be horrible for the gun's operator.

"Cliffjumper, Decepticons to your right! Blast'em!" One of the bots defending the left flank warned.

Cliffjumper takes the minigun and points it toward the Decepticons to his right. He pulls the trigger and plasma bolts start coming out of the barrels. Almost immediately, the Decepticons start getting mowed down. Some of the plasma bolts were miraculously lodged into hard to hit targets such as the head and neck. One of the bolts was strong enough to decapitate a Vehicon trooper upon impact on the head. When a head is shot off, energon starts gushing out and the body falls over.

"Ha! Bull's-eye!" The happy bot exclaimed. He was clearly doing something right. Hitting a Vehicon in the face with a minigun takes a lot of skill. Cliffjumper was lucky the recoil didn't affect his aiming. Before he pulled the trigger again, two surviving Vehicons raised their hands, surrendering. Cliffjumper gestured for them to come to his location while still pointing the minigun at them. After realizing that they weren't willingly to fight anymore, he tuned into his short range comm link in an attempted to contact Ultra Magnus and request for an escort. "Commander Magnus, sir. I have captured two Vehicons and I require an escort, over."

Ultra Magnus heard Cliffjumper's voice and immediately took cover behind some metal crates. He tuned into his own comm link and responded. "Roger that Cliffjumper. Hot Shot, Tailgate, report, over!" Ultra Magnus replied while simultaneously contacting Hot Shot and Tailgate.

Hot Shot and Tailgate were in the middle of a firefight. They, along with a small squad were guarding the right side of the building. Hot Shot tuned into his comm link and responded to his commander's call.

"This is Corporal Hot Shot, over." The mech identified, while dodging some blaster bolts.

"Hot Shot, Cliffjumper has captured some Decepticons and requires an escort." Ultra Magnus paused, blasting a Decepticon who ran toward him. He dodged a number of blaster bolts but continued speaking. "I want you and Tailgate to go over to Cliffjumper and escort his prisoners to the main lobby, over."

Hot Shot thought about it for a brief moment. The lobby is full of medics and wounded. He began to object. "Sir, the lobby is full of wounded and doctors, over."

"It will have to do. Get it done, over and out!"

With that, Hot Shot obeyed and gestured for Tailgate to follow him without explaining anything. Together, the two left their position and ran to the left flank, dodging blaster bolts and rockets in the process. While running, they fired random shots toward the battlefield. While running, this method was used to keep the Decepticons' heads down while at the same time, providing covering fire for other Autobots.

Back with Ultra Magnus, he surveyed the battlefield and began to think. If Prime never got the message, he and his troops are done for. If they were going to die, at least they would go down fighting. He tuned into his comm link once again and addressed all of his troops.

"Autobots, I am afraid Optimus Prime never received my transmission." Magnus said into his comm link. He felt extremely guilty. He should've at least tried calling Prime again, but the antennas are busted. He also feels guilty for not shooting down the Decepticon seekers in time. If he did, he probably would still have contact with Optimus. He continued speaking. "But that doesn't mean we should stop fighting! Regardless on wheather or not Prime got our message, we must fight on! If Prime never got our transmission, the best thing to do is to fight and show the Decepticons what we're made of! No surrender!"

Hearing this, the Autobots prepared for their final stand. Magnus is right. It is better to die fighting rather than surrendering. Surrendering is a horrible alternative anyway. The Decepticons don't take prisoners. Only more dead Autobots will please them. The Autobots defending the radio station have no idea that Prime actually got the message and that relief was on it's way.

 _Outskirts_

Prowl and his troops managed to catch up to the relief force. Crystal City is only two hundred clicks from Iacon which isn't a lot if you're traveling via ship. The relief force is already nine clicks away from Crystal City and are now in transit to Ultra Magnus' position. As Prowl stated, there are ten tanks, five dropships, and eight platoons of infantry and they are in a tactical column. He only hoped that they were enough to stop the Decepticons.

Prowl and Ironhide are inside their dropship and are flying ahead of the column. Prowl tuned into his short range comm link and attempted to make contact with Ultra Magnus.

"Ultra Magnus, this is Captain Prowl. What's your status, over?" Prowl said into his comm link.

No response.


End file.
